Dentist&#39;s holder for film packs



Agg. 4, 1925.

. H, R. RAPER mm'ss fiamma Fon PAQKS Fund latch 15. 1922 mvg? Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

HOWARD R. narnia, or ALBUQERQUE, NEW MEXICO.

DENTISTS HOLDER FOR FILM PACKS.

Application filed March 15, 1922. vSerial No. 543,840.

To all whom t may concern.' v

Be it known that I, HOWARD R. Bunn, a citizen of the'United States, residing at Albuquerque, in Bernalillo County and State of New Mexico, have invented new and usefulv Improvements in Dentists Holdersfor Film Packs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a holder, the

function of which is to hold a radio-sensitive film pack in position in the mouth to enable X-ray picturesof the teeth to be made. It is a common practice to have the patient hold the film pack in his mouth with his fingers, but this method is very unsatisfactory because it frequently results in imperfect radiographs due to the fact that the film is not held in the best position with relation to the tooth or teeth which are to be radiographed. y

The general object of the invention is to produce a simple holder for this purpose which will operate to hold a film at any point in the mouth and which is so constructed as to insure that the film will be properly positioned behind the tooth or teeth to be radiographed; also to provide simple means for yieldingly holding or pressing the film pack against the gum and to provide simple means for adjusting this pressure to adapt the holder to operate effectively at different points in the mouth; also to provide special means for regulating the height of the film pack with respect to the teeth radiographed; also to provide the holder with a special construction which will insure a clear radiograph being made of the entire length of the tooth; and to provide a construction for the holder which will insure its being properly aligned and rigidly held between the teeth.

Another object of the invention is to provide means tio-facilitate the placing of the holder in the patients mouth.

Further objects of the inventionrwill appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel features, and in the general combination of parts to be particularly describedl hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce a simple and efficient dentists holder for lm packs. A preferred embodiment of my invention will be particularly described in the following specification, while the broad scope of my invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure" 1 is a vertical section through a holder embodying my invention and illustrating the same as in operation when taking a radiograph of an incisor of the upper ]aw; Y

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the same holder but representing it as applied for taking a picture of a molar or bicuspi of the lower `j aw;

Figure 3 is a plan of the holder and illustrating means whichl Imay provide to facilitatev its being placed in the patients mouth by the dentist;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the holder with the film pack in place; i

Figure 5 is a bottom Vplan of the holder shown in Figure 4; I i

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4C but showing the film pack secured in place with its longitudinal axis vertical instead of horizontal; Y'

Figure 7 is a vertical section through a holder and illustrating' another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a holder showing still another embodiment of the invention; and p Figure 9 is a rear elevation ofthe resilient part of the holder shown in Figure 8 and Vrepresenting the same removed from the body of the holder.

Referring more particularly to the parteI l represents the body of the holder (see'Figu ures V1 to 3). This body is constructed so as to be supported in any suitable manner by the teeth of the patient. It is also provided wit-h means f( r holding the film pack within the mouth and behind the teeth which are to be radiographed. The film pack 2is preferably secured to the body 1 by means of a slot 3 formed in the body and which receives theedge of the film pack. Tliemeans for holding the film also includes a member for yieldingly engaging the side of the film in such a way as to hold it against the gum. This means may be constructed of metal if desired, but' I prefer to construct it in the form of a resilient and yielding tongue 4- of soft rubber o-r similarmaterial.' This tongue is mounted in a socket 5 formed in the body so that the tongue extends transversely to the long axis of the body l. I also prefer to secure the iilin pack in the slot by means ot' a small screw Glwhich is threaded in the body and passes thro-ugh the socket 5 so that it operates to hold the tongue i in place, the inner end ot the'usoreivlying inl the slot in such a Way as to clamp the film pack Within the slot. I prefer to use' an undercut oran inclined slot because thisacilitates Vholdingl the film pack in the'desired relation to thc tooth. Incidentally lthis assists in securing' the pack in the slot, the slot being inclined in such a direction that the4V bottom of the slot lies beyond the tipot' 'the screw; hence the tighteningv up et the screw will tendv to seat thetilm packvin lthe bottoni ot the slot, rather than force it out of the slot; v.The er; tension ot the body l which 'lies on the side of the iilm pack oppo-site to the' socket 5 is Iconstructed so -as to beheld between thc teeth, see 'Eigure 2 which represents the holder set in place with a film packv for taking;- thefradiograph of a lower molar.

Itis/preferable to providefmeans tor-regudating- .the-depth ot the slot, ory its virtual depth, and this I accomplish lbyproviding a removable tiller in the form `ot a` `screnT 7 which 1s receivedl in a threaded opening drilled ltlirougzjh -the block or' body at the'bottom of the slot. Figure-"l shows this filler in xplace, while Figurey 2 yshoivs 'the-slotyvith .the filler `remo-ved.

In 'order' to insureperfect clearness'ot the radiograph in the vicinity ot the outer end or Ytace ot' theteethI I construct thevbody at lthe point Where it engages-the teethl of a radio-lucent or radioparentnnater-ial. By that I mean ainaterial through" which fthe Rntgen rays Will pass freely. Inorder to accomplish this and also provide addi-tional meansy for increasingthe virtual depth ot the slot I; provideY the tace' of the body l which comes against-the teeth -to 4bel radiographed, with a` removable sl'ab oi radiol-ucent-material 'such-as Celluloid, amber or similar material. It? desired, the Aentire vbody canl be constructed oi" Celluloid or similar material, orthe bodyxnay belot-metaland the slab oi r-a dio-lucentA 'material' attafehed Vin placeby =lneans ot a dove-tailedfgroove 9. I. provide setscrew: l() inthe. blo-ck' for se'- curing the slab vinfplafce. The inner edge of thisslabisdnsubstantial alignment With the ivallfoii theuslot'iso `that it constitutes a con- -tinuwa-,tionoi the slot' Wall and virtually inper tace is simply flush with the tace of the block or bony 1.

The body ot' the film is positioned in thc mouth in the manner indicated in Figures l and 2 so that the hn pack is held against the innervtaceot the gum, the X-rays passing' in the general direction indicated by the arrows.

Suitable means provided for adjust-- ing the resilient ineans or tongue l so as to alter its relation with respect to the body l. Forthis purpose I provide .the body l with a transverse pin 12 (see Figures 2 and This pin passes through the body and through the material of the tongue Within the socket. The' pin may be put in place with the tongue in its normal positiony projecting at right angles to the direction in vwhich the body l extends, that is .to say, lthe tongue projecting straight out from the socket, but it desired, the pinv may be removed and the tongue bent torivard or toward the position which the tooth Will occupy, and `the pin can then be replaced in the to-noue. This Will have the-.etect of giving. ay Iorward adjustment-or `tilt to the tongue-and will enable itto back up or support the film where. the .tace ot the gum is more nearlyiin a; plane at rigg'htfangles to Athe aXis et the body l. A. film. pack 2 may beapplied with its longitudinal axis horizontal or vwith its llongitudinal axis y vertical (see Figures lv and 6').

.The body. i is preferably constructed so that it may be held between the patients teeth as in biting' and the lconstruction is such as to insure that when' heldin thisivay the act o biting` will not tend to tilt the :holder out oi position. In Ethisconnection -it should be understood that the upper tace ot the block l as shoivn in Figures l and l seats against the upper row oi teeth. In Figure 4; the line 13 represents the line ot bite oi the upper teeth andthe line 14 repre -sents the line ot biteoflr the lower teeth. In ord'er to preventthe lower teeth trom tilting the-body I provide thisside of the body With a rounded or bevelled tacel. Inthis way I avoid forming any corners von the bodywvhich rcould be engaged by the teeth/in the biting line lll and hence thereisless tei'idency to tilt the body and' tihn packytor the reason that the `force/or pressure isexerted by these teeth more nearly in the middle plane ot-the body. It should be understood, however, ith-at? in Figure l the lines 13 and 14 referto the positioning of the deviceto take a radiograph of a molar. In order to tacilit'atethe holding-ot the device to take the radiograph of an incisor as in Figure i, I `provide the rounded tace of the body With a plurality ot score lines or grooves 16 Which may be engaged by the bite ot the incisors. In other Words it the line 17 ot lFigure 6 represents the biting line ot the dower teeth,

Aso

lll)

yupper face of the body.

'this biting line would lie substantially at the bottom of one of the notches 16, while the biting line 18 would represent the position of the upper incisors asthey rested on the Instead of constructing the tongue 4 of soft rubber I may construct it of a metal spring. This may be accomplished as illustrated in Figure 7 by providing a removable block 19 which will fit into the socket 5 when the tongue 4 has been removed. This block 19 would be drilled to permit the clamping screw 20 to pass through it to clamp the film pack 21 in position. The upper side of this block carries a column or tongue 22 which may be in the form of a coil spring. This coil spring tends'to assume a position in which its axis would lie at right angles to the axis of the screw 20, but when engaged by the pack 21 it exerts a yielding-pressure against the face of the film pack and assists in holding it against the gum.

If desired thevyielding tongue may have the featuresillustrated in Figures 8 and 9 in which a bifurcated wire spring 23 has its forks 24 received .in openings in the upper face of a small block 25 which lits into the socket of the body. These forks 24 are each provided with a coil 26 giving considerable resiliency to the upper end of the tongue which engages the rear face of the film pack 27.

In order to facilitate the placing of the holder and film pack in position I may provide the block with a pair of adjacent openings or sockets 28 (see Figure 3) which may receive the tines 29 of a fork carried on a suitable handle 30.

An additional advantage arises from the use of'amber or celluloid on one side of the body by reason of the fact that such a material is slightly resilient and operates to enable the teeth to hold the holder more rigidly with a given amount of pressure of the teeth. In other words, a better effect arises than that which occurs when both rows of teeth bite against metal.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments my invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention, nor in my claims to the particular embodiment set forth.

' What I claim is:

1. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed to be supported by the teeth of the patient, means carried by said body for holding the edge of the film pack, and resilient means also carried by the body for engaging the inner side ofthe filmV pack in the free portion thereof beyond said holding means for holding the film pack against the gum.

2. A holder for a radio-sensitive filmpack having a body constructed to be supported the teeth of the patient, said body having means Afor securing the edge of the film pack thereto, and means also carried by said body Yand extending beyond the Vsame for yieldingly engaging the back side of the pack when the holder is in operative position to hold the film pack against the gum.

3. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed to be held between the teeth by the bite of the patient, said body having means for carrying and holding the film pack, including a resilient member extending laterally from the body and constructed to yieldingly engage the non-sensitive-side of the film pack for holding the film', pack against the gum.

4. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed to be held between the teeth of the patient, and having a transverse slot for holding the edge of the film pack, and means for adjusting the depth of the slot. I

5. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed tobe held between the teeth of the patient, said body having a transverse slot cut in a plane inclined to the direction in which the body extends, and an engaging member carried by the body and co-operating therewith to hold the film in the slot.

6. A holderI for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed to be held between the teeth of the patient and having a transverse slot to receive the edge of the filmV pack, means carried by said body for holding the film pack so as to extend laterally from the body, said body having a detachable X-ray translucent slab on its side on which the film pack extends from the body, the inner edge of said slab being substantially in alignment with a wall of said slot.

7. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed .to be held by the bite of the patient, means carried by the body for holding a film pack so as to extend behind the teeth, said body having a substantially flat face on the side thereof adj acent to the direction in which the film pack extends and having a substantially rounded face on the opposite side, the rounded surface whereof is positioned to be engaged by the teeth on that side, to prevent tilting the body out of position.

8. A holder for a radio-sensitive film pack having a body constructed to be hel between'the teeth by the bite of the patient, said body having means for carrying and holding the film pack including a resilient member extending laterally from the body constructed to yieldingly engage and exertV pressure on the inner side of the film pack when carried by said slot, and means for adjusting the position of said member with respect to the body.

9. A holder for aradio-sensitive film pack.

lil() nhavin a body vconstructed to be /held between 'the fteeth yby -thefbite of the ipatient, said body having means -or carrying and holding VtheA film pack including a `member Composed-of soft rubber extending-laterally romthebody and cone'tructedto engage the inner Sideofthe film pack.

'10. A holder rfor a radio-sensitive film .Ipaok lhavingfa` body constructed to be lheld t-by the bite of theipatient, .meanscarried by lthe'body for-holdin'ga film pack sons-to eX- tendbehind the teeth,said body vhaving a substantially-fiat face-on the 'side thereof ad- -jacent toxthe'direction in which the iilmpack "extends and having =a=rounded face fon-the opposite side, said rounded face operating Whenengaged by the teethon that side7 to prevent tilting thebodyout of positiomsa-id rounded face having vtransverse :grooves therein adapted tobe engaged by the -incisors When ytheholde'r isheldat the front of the mouth.

11. A holder `for a kradio-sensitive iilm .pack having-'a body constructed to 'be held A'f1.3 548, LZ1

.betWeen'the-teeth bythe bite of theipatient, Ysaid bod-y fhaying a transverse slot for yreceiving the edge of the iilm pack, and a lclamping screw mounted in said body `so that its end may project into the slot, the Said slotfbeingwinclin'ed.in such a direction #that the'bottom of the slot lies beyondfthe end .of the screw, whereby the tightening of the screw tends to `seat the edgeof the liilm yat :the bottom ofthe slot.

A 7holder `for a radio-sensitive film `pack having a body constructedto be held ybetween .the=teeth -by the bite of the fpatient,

said body having a transverse slot -'for receiving'the edge of the film pack,V anda resilient member for supporting the VVfilm ,pack extending laterally from the `body andvseycured thereon at a distance `ifromsaid slot to In testimony whereof, I have fhereunto set myfhand. y

HOWARD sR. RAPER. 

